Chapter 46
I pulled into the circle driveway of a two-story oceanfront cottage in Isle of Palms and parked my car behind the white Jeep Wrangler.
When I got out, Haley rounded the vehicle with a grin. “Hey!”
I smiled. “Hey.” I looked up at the house. “This is really nice.”
“It is, but it’s definitely got more potential.”
As we walked by her Jeep, I glanced over to see a row of various rubber ducks running along the length of her windshield. “That’s a lot of ducks.”
“I’m a fan of Duck Duck Jeep.” Haley chuckled. “I have a box of them wearing little stethoscopes that I leave in there to give out.”
When we walked into the empty house, I could see what Haley meant when she said it had “more potential.” At first glance, it definitely needed a paint job, and hardwood floors that appeared to run through most of the house were scuffed and scraped and could probably use refinishing.
“Hello.”
I turned at the sound of another woman’s voice, and without an introduction, I knew exactly who she was. She had the same bright green eyes and dark brown hair Haley and Wes had. “Mrs. Callahan,” I said with a smile, extending my hand.
She smiled in response and shook my hand. “Please, call me Liz.”
I nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, Liz. I’m Morgan.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too.” She smiled as she glanced around. “Shall I show you around?”
I spent the next hour walking through the house with Haley and her mom.
This project would be simple enough because nothing elaborate was wanted—new paint, refinishing the floors, new kitchen and bathroom tile, and furniture.
We could have it done in a month or so. I also gave Elizabeth my mom’s card before I left on the off chance she needed a realtor for the rental listing.
As I drove back to the office, I thought about the fact that I was doing this project at all.
When Haley first reached out while I was still in Miami, I wasn’t sure Grace would let me do it. The Callahans weren’t big clients of LSID like Lucas was, and she didn’t typically take on many residential properties.
I checked my schedule before I reached out to Grace, and since it wouldn’t conflict with any of my other projects, I asked her if I could do it.
I wanted to help since Haley specifically reached out to me, but I’d be lying if I said the acknowledgment of my feelings for Wes didn’t play a part in me jumping on the chance to help and practically begging Grace to let me take it on.
Now, I was avoiding Wes but doing a walkthrough of a house with his mom and his sister.
Again, what is my life?
I had no intention of avoiding Wes after the night at The Sandbar…but then he showed up to trivia night with Loralei. I was already beating myself up over missing out on my chance to tell him how I felt, and that was an added reminder I didn’t need.
I didn’t have a problem with Loralei. I didn’t even know her.
It wasn’t like it was her fault it took me so long to pull my goddamn head out of my ass.
That was entirely on me. But that didn’t make it any easier to see them together.
It was a reminder of the consequences of my stubbornness not to acknowledge my feelings for Wes sooner.
I only lasted half an hour before I couldn’t take it anymore and had to leave. Not because they were all over each other—quite the opposite, actually. Not because they were being overly affectionate.
It was because of me.
Because all I wanted to do that entire thirty minutes I sat there was pull Wes aside and tell him what I never got the chance to, wanting to throw my hat in the ring, so to speak. I couldn’t do that, though. I had no right to interfere in their relationship.
So, I chose to take myself out of the equation and had been pretty much MIA for the past month.
I hadn’t gone to trivia or Saturday nights out, using work as an excuse or saying I had other plans.
Maybe it would get easier someday, but at the moment, it was too hard to be around him.
Callie was the only one who knew the real reason I kept my distance, and I was glad she knew the truth about everything now.
I’d be even more miserable than I already was if I had no outlet and had to keep it all to myself.
That night, I was sitting inside my apartment with a much-needed glass of wine.
I’d prefer to be on my terrace, but sitting out there made my mind spiral to places I didn’t want it going.
From my spot there, I could see Wes’s building across the pond, and it would make me think about him being there… but with someone else.
I knew it was pathetic, but pathetic seemed to be my middle name as of late.
I took a sip of my wine, my other hand resting on my chest as if to soothe the gnawing pang that seemed to be a permanent fixture there.
For someone who’d been waiting to feel this way, I hated all of it—the constant ache in my chest, how often he was on my mind, how much I missed him, how simply thinking about him put a lump in my throat.
Maybe it was a good thing I’d never experienced love before because this was a kind of pain I’d never want to feel more than once.
My eyes were fixed on my wine glass on the table inside Oasis. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been staring at it, but it was long enough that I’d tuned out the guy sitting across from me while he talked.
Jason was a landscape contractor I’d met, ironically enough, while at the Callahan beach house.
I’d stopped by to check on the refinished flooring, and he’d been working on a project at the house next door; he came over when I was walking to my car, introduced himself, and asked if I’d like to go to dinner Saturday.
I don’t know what the hell possessed me to say yes because I wasn’t in the right headspace for a date, but I did. Even worse on my part, I let him pick me up instead of driving myself and meeting him.
I was regretting both of those decisions now.
The behavior change was gradual, but as dinner went on, the mask he was wearing fell away, and his brash and arrogant colors started to show. Served me right, I supposed.
Needless to say, I was over the date, so when the waiter came over and asked if we wanted anything else, I declined and asked for the check.
As we walked out of Oasis, I pulled my phone from my purse with the intention of requesting an Uber. He slung his arm around my shoulder, and I casually shrugged it off and stepped away from him. “Listen, thank you for dinner, but I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“Well…” He smirked, taking a step and wrapping his arm back around me. “I thought we could continue this when I took you home.”
I squirmed away from him and laughed uncomfortably. “Nope. No, that’s, uh, that’s not happening.” I sent out the request for the Uber. “I’m just gonna wait over there. Again, thanks for dinner.” I turned and started down the sidewalk.
“Come on, babe. If you don’t wanna go to your place, you can come back to mine.”
“No thanks. And stop calling me ‘babe.’”
“What’s it going to take to convince you?”
“There’s literally nothing that could.”
“But, babe, the night’s far too young to be over yet.”
I rolled my eyes. “And you’re far too dumb to take a hint.”
“What was that?” he asked derisively.
When I didn’t answer, I felt his hand grab mine. I whipped around, ready to snap, but before I could open my mouth to speak, someone stepped between us and shoved Jason back.
“I believe she’s made it clear she’s not interested.”
My eyes went wide as they traveled up the length of the body now shielding me, instantly recognizing Wes’s voice.
“Pretty sure this doesn’t concern you, pal,” Jason spat.
“I’m not your fucking pal,” Wes growled. “Now get the hell away from her.” Jason tried to side-step, but Wes quickly blocked his path. “Did I fucking stutter?” His voice raised, pulling the attention of a few bystanders.
“Screw this and you,” Jason huffed, pointing a finger in my direction before turning and stalking off.
Wes kept his back to me for a moment, watching him walk away before he turned to face me. When my wide eyes met his green-eyed gaze, my heart clenched. “Are you alright?”
“Where the hell did you come from?”
Wes chuckled. “Is that any way to say thank you?”
“I am perfectly capable of handling myself—”
“Looked like it,” he teased with a nod.
“But I appreciate the assist, nonetheless.” I continued to stare up at him. “Thanks…”
“You’re welcome,” he replied. “So…a date?”
I swore there was an underlying hint of something in that question. “Yeah. A bad one, if you couldn’t tell.”
“Oh, no, it looked like it was going swimmingly,” Wes quipped, earning a snort from me.
“It’s Saturday. Shouldn’t you be out with everyone?”
“We called it an early night.” I nodded, feeling my stomach twist into a knot. I had a feeling “we” meant him and Loralei.
“What are you doing down this way?”
“Oh, uh…” He suddenly looked sheepish. “Lora, um…she lives in that building there,” he pointed across the street. “I dropped her off, and I saw you when I was walking to my car.”
“Oh…” I nodded, trying to force the thoughts of him being in her apartment away.
“Where’s your car? I’ll walk you to it.”
“I didn’t—he drove. I requested an Uber.”
His brow furrowed. “I can take you home if you need a—”
“No,” I interrupted, shaking my head. “No. That’s okay, but thank you.”
I did appreciate his offer. I just didn’t trust myself not to do or say something I had no business doing or saying if I was alone with him, even if it was just sitting in a car.
I held his stare for another moment before letting out a breath and peering around him, checking for my Uber. I gestured and started walking, and he fell into step beside me as we made our way in awkward silence to the corner of the street.
After a few moments, he cleared his throat. “So, it’s been a while. You haven’t been around, like…at all in nearly two months.”
“Yeah, uh, I just…I’ve been busy,” I lied.
“Busy…” he repeated. Something told me he wasn’t buying it, but I nodded anyway. “It feels like it’s more than that,” he said a little quieter.
I knew he knew I was avoiding him.
Another heavy bout of silence settled between us before he broke it.
“So…that’s it? We just never talk again?
” My brow furrowed as I finally looked at him again, not expecting him to just come out with it like that.
He let out a quiet, forced chuckle. “I don’t…
I don’t know your rules with this side of things, Morgan. ”
My rules.
I felt that lump growing in my throat as I stared at him, his green eyes glinting with what I could have sworn was dejection, but I knew that couldn’t be right.
“You have someone,” I said just above a whisper. “You don’t need me anymore.”
A look I couldn’t quite decipher crossed his expression as his brows dipped, and I dropped his gaze. “Morgan…”
The moment was interrupted by my phone chiming with an alert, and I glanced at it to see a notification that my ride was arriving just as an SUV pulled up alongside the curb. “That’s me. I should…” I trailed off and gestured to the waiting ride.
I didn’t wait before I stepped around him, opened the back door, and got in, feeling a familiar sting in my eyes but fighting it back until I shut myself inside. I stared at him through the tinted glass of the window, watching him watch the SUV pull away.